Oct 17 2009
Gift Ideas for Gardeners
Gardening is a very popular hobby that, for some, becomes an obsession. So when the gift buying season approaches you will always know that a gardening related gift will go down a treat. However, finding a unique and interesting gift for the gardener is another story!
It’s always good to try and be imaginative when buying gifts, try to avoid buying something that your gardener friend would buy for themselves. Books are an obvious choice but you should really only buy a book for the gardener if you know that they are interested in reading, or if they are beginners and you think that they would like a good reference book.
Another great inexpensive gift idea is a large diary so the gardener can keep records of their planting and other useful information regarding their garden. If the recipient is a flower gardener, you could buy some bulbs for them to plant; these will keep until it is the right time of year for planting. You can buy some beautiful and expensive flower bulbs or simply a heap of daffodil bulbs – your budget is the only limitation. Have a look at some of the online bulb catalogues to find something original.
Depending on your budget, there are some absolutely stunning garden ornaments to be found. But, be sure that you know what type of ornament your gardener friend likes – you don’t want to buy a garden gnome for someone who can’t stand the little blighters or you could find it sitting right next to the compost bin next time you visit!
What about a topiary frame for a great long lasting gift? These are wire frames in the shape of an animal or even just a wire sphere that can be used to create an interesting garden feature as the plant grows around the frame. You could include a good set of pruning shears to keep the topiary in shape.
A nice set of planters that could be used indoors or outdoors would make a great gift. No gardener ever has enough containers for their plants. A boot scraper would be very useful for scraping the mud from boots after spending time in a muddy garden.
An interesting gift that I once bought for my gardening mad brother was a bird house with a tiny camera installed. It comes complete with a monitor so, when the bird house is attached to a tree or wherever, you can view the inside of your bird house from the shed or house. My brother was lucky enough to be able observe the building of a nest and the progress of eggs to chicks.
You could buy a high quality garden tool and have the handle personalized with the recipient’s name, or a set of stainless steel container tools that not only look good but will last forever. If you are looking for a more affordable gift, you could get a pair of gardening gloves, a kneeling pad or even a very useful trug for transporting the weeds to the compost bin.
If this doesn’t give you any original ideas, or you are unsure as to what you friend would like, then perhaps a gift voucher from your local nursery would go down well. Your gardener friend can choose some plants or tools that he/she wants. Or even a subscription to the ebook that shows how to make extra cash from your garden.
